| Most recent season or competition: 2025 AVC Men's Volleyball Champions League | |
| Founded | 1999; 26 years ago (1999) (rebranded in 2004 and 2025) |
|---|---|
| Organising body | AVC |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Continent | Asia andOceania |
| Most recent champions | (1st title) |
| Most titles | (8 titles) |
| Qualification | FIVB Men's Club World Championship |
| Streaming partner | Volleyball TV (Global) |
| Official website | asianvolleyball.net |
TheAVC Men's Volleyball Champions League is an annual continental clubvolleyball competition organised by theAsian Volleyball Confederation (AVC), and contested by Asia and Oceania's top-divisionvolleyball clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition in Asia and Oceanian volleyball, played by the national league champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of their national federations.
Introduced in 1999 as theAVC Cup Men's Club Volleyball Tournament, the competition rebranded asAsian Men's Club Volleyball Championship in 2004. It was rebranded again in 2025 to its current name.
Despite its name implying a league format, the competition is structured as a tournament featuring 12 elite clubs from across Asia and Oceania. The champion and runner-up of the competition earn qualification for the prestigiousFIVB Men's Volleyball Club World Championship.[1]
The most successful club in the competition isPaykan Tehran with a total of eight titles. Iran's teams have been dominating the tournament by winning 17 times, the most for any nation. The current Asian club champions areAl-Rayyan Sports Club fromQatar, who defeatedOsaka Bluteon fromJapan (3–0) in the2025 final.
The competition began in 1999 when theAsian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) announced the establishment of the first official men's and women's club championships, to be held under its supervision.[2][3] The tournament was initially known as theAVC Cup Men's Club Volleyball Tournament for its first four editions, before being renamed theAsian Men's Club Volleyball Championship in 2004.
The inaugural edition was played in around-robin format. From 2000 to 2004, the competition adopted a two-round system: a preliminary round (featuring a pool round, from which the top four teams advanced) followed by a final round (consisting of semi-finals and a final). In 2005, the tournament reverted to a round-robin format. Between 2006 and 2009, it once again featured two rounds: preliminary and final rounds. Currently, the tournament follows a similar format to the 2006–2009 editions, but the final stage now includes quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final.
Starting with the 2025 edition, the tournament will be rebranded as theAVC Men's Volleyball Champions League.[4][5]
The tournament features a maximum of 12 participating teams, with the host country automatically qualifying. The host nation is permitted to field up to two teams in the competition.[4][6] Other teams will qualify through the designated qualification pathway established for that particular year.
For the 2025 edition, all remaining participating teams were granted entry by invitation only.[7]
The tournament consists of two rounds: a preliminary round (pool phase) and a final round (direct elimination phase). During the preliminary round, the 12 qualified teams are divided into four pools—labeled A through D—each containing three teams. Within each pool, teams compete in a round-robin format, with each team playing against the other two teams once. Following the pool phase, the top two teams from each pool advance to the final round, which includes the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final match.[7][8]
The teams advancing to the semifinals of this competition will be awarded a total prize of US$50,000 by theAsian Volleyball Confederation (AVC).[7][8] This marks the first time that a prize has been introduced in an AVC event in 2025.
| Club | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Years champions | Years runners-up | Years third place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 2 | 2 | 2002,2006,2007,2008, 2009,2010,2011,2022 | 2000,2004 | 1999,2015 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 2000,2001 | 1999 | — | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2014,2019 | — | — | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2016,2017 | — | — | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2021,2024 | — | — | |
| 1 | 4 | 3 | 2012 | 2010,2015,2016,2021 | 2007,2009,2017 | |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 2023 | 2001,2022 | 2008,2025 | |
| 1 | 2 | 1 | 2025 | 2013,2014 | 2019 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 2004 | 2002 | — | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 2005 | 2006 | — | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 2013 | — | 2012 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1999 | — | — | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 2015 | — | — | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 2018 | — | — | |
| 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 2019,2025 | 2010 | |
| 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2007,2009 | — | |
| 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2008,2011 | — | |
| 0 | 1 | 3 | — | 2012 | 2001,2005,2011 | |
| 0 | 1 | 2 | — | 2018 | 2002,2004 | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2017 | 2016 | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2023 | 2024 | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2024 | 2022 | |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2005 | — | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 2000 | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 2006 | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 2013 | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 2014 | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 2018 | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 2021 | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 2023 |
| Country | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Years champions | Years runners-up | Years third place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 5 | 4 | 2002,2004,2006,2007, 2008,2009,2010,2011, 2013,2014,2016,2017, 2018,2019,2021,2022, 2024 | 2000,2002,2004,2005, 2024 | 1999,2012,2015,2022 | |
| 2 | 6 | 5 | 2012,2025 | 2010,2013,2014,2015, 2016,2021 | 2007,2009,2017,2019, 2023 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 2000,2001 | 1999 | — | |
| 1 | 5 | 4 | 2023 | 2001,2017,2019,2022,2025 | 2008,2010,2016,2025 | |
| 1 | 4 | 3 | 2005 | 2006,2008,2011,2018 | 2002,2004,2021 | |
| 1 | 1 | 5 | 1999 | 2012 | 2000,2001,2005,2011, 2014 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 2015 | — | 2013 | |
| 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2007,2009 | — | |
| 0 | 1 | 2 | — | 2023 | 2006,2024 | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 2018 |
| Zonal association | Champions | Runners-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAVA | 18 | 9 | 8 |
| EAVA | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| WAVA | 2 | 8 | 5 |
| SAVA | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 25 | 25 | 25 |
List of hosts by number of championships hosted.
| Times hosted | Nations | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 2002, 2004, 2013, 2022, 2024 | |
| 4 | 1999, 2001, 2010, 2012 | |
| 2 | 2000, 2021 | |
| 2006, 2017 | ||
| 2007, 2023 | ||
| 2015, 2019 | ||
| 2016, 2018 | ||
| 2011, 2026 | ||
| 1 | 2005 | |
| 2008 | ||
| 2009 | ||
| 2014 | ||
| 2025 |
As of2025 AVC Men's Volleyball Champions League.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 26 | |
| 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 13 | |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 10 | |
| 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 | |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | |
| 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (10 entries) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 75 | |